I saw a whole row of brightly colored Geraniums when I drove passed Home Depot the other day.
Wahoo! That must mean spring has sprung. If you are planting Geraniums this year, here’s a quick guide on caring for them {remember, you can over-winter them, so they’re more like an investment}:
Geraniums basically need three things to thrive: water, sun, and nutrients. If you provide those three things regularly, your Geraniums will reward you with lots of bright flowers.
First, water. Geraniums don’t love being left to dry out for long periods of time. While no plant really loves soggy soil {it’s like have wet feet all of the time–no bueno}, Geraniums do prefer to have consistently moist soil. In the hotter months, consistently moist soil translates to daily watering. If you can poke your finger into the soil and it is dry 2″ down, they need watered.
Second, sun. Geraniums will give you brighter fuller blooms when they have full sun. They will tolerate some shade, as they become more well established, but at first, they will need lots of blistering sun and warmer overnight temperatures.
Third, nutrients. A good organic fertilizer will go a long way. Ideally, they would love a feeding once per week. They are needy that way. If you don’t want to buy commercial fertilizers, you can add in some homemade compost. The compost is a good idea, irregardless, if you are planting them in pots. Work compost into your potting soil before planting.
Make sure to deadhead the fading flowers to encourage new growth throughout the season. If you plan on over-wintering your geraniums {i.e. plucking them out of the ground and into the house or garage to save them for next year}, snip them back about 2/3 of the way when the night time temperatures hit 45 degrees, and put the pots indoors in a location where they will get at least 4 hours of light.
You can water much, much more sparingly throughout the winter {once a week}. When new growth begins to appear in the spring, it is time for the Geraniums first fertilization. When it is time to put them back outside, make sure to harden them off by exposing them to the out of doors gradually.
Do you have any tried and true tips for caring for Geraniums?
~Mavis
Don’t forget to check out my DIY Potting Soil Recipe. It’s awesome.
Laurie says
They are also super easy to start from cuttings. I just snip a branch below a leaf, pull off the leaf and dip the branch in root tone (rooting hormone) and poke into a pot of potting soil. Keep well watered and soon you’ve got a new geranium. I love geraniums!
Rosiemarie says
I have had two Geraniums, pink and a red one sitting in my kitchen garden window for about 5 years now. I took them out of the garden for the winter and never replanted them outside, they are starting to look like Geranium Bonsai, how cool is that! Thanks for the tip on starting a new plant from cuttings, I will give this a try.
Rosalea says
Thank you so much! I have my first geranium and I’ve bookmarked your page to remind myself 🙂
Also — “The compost is a good idea, irregardless, if you are planting them in pots.” — ‘irregardless’ is not a word. The word is ‘regardless’ – it doesn’t need the ‘ir’ to show contrast. Just something that hurts my eyes anytime I see it! <3